From 1864 through to 1895 a paperback edition was published and such was the success of the almanac that in 1896 a Hardback edition was printed. Initially it was hoped that the hardback edition would replace the paperback, but sales were inconsistent and the difference in price between the two formats meant that the paperback continued to outsell its hardback counterpart right through the last years of the century and well into the next

The Hardback edition was noticable for the inside front page (and facing) and the inside back page (and facing) being yellow, with the text in black. This style was retained until the 1938 edition

In latter years in terms of collecting, the 1896 hardback edition has achieved a higher price than any other; including the first edition of 1864 and the elusive 1875.